The Blues travelled to Merseyside last season attempting to fight their way back into a title race being dominated by Manchester City and Liverpool.

After a truly remarkable season, the Reds were within reach of their first ever Premier League title, and many thought that the goalscoring exploits of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge would overcome the injury-ridden Chelsea squad - who were playing the game in-between tough Champions League ties.

However, a memorable performance from the West Londoners - and an unfortunate slip by Kop hero Steven Gerrard - saw Jose Mourinho’s men run out 2-0 winners, all-but handing the Premier League trophy to Manchester City.

The cross-country rivals face off again on Saturday afternoon, with the Blues looking to extend the gap on Liverpool to 15 points, whilst Rodgers is keen to register a dominant performance to kick-start his side’s season. The build up to the game has been focused around that memorable day last season, and Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta - who is available for selection after serving his three-match suspension - has commented on the match which ended Liverpool’s 11-game winning streak.

Quoted by ESPN, the Spanish international said: “Everyone thought Liverpool had won the title and when the team bus drove through the streets to get to the ground, there were flags everywhere.

“It was a massive day for them but we were professional and coped with the pressure.

“We still had a chance that day to win the title ourselves. It's the same now - we are determined to get the three points.”

Despite faltering themselves in recent weeks, the Blues travel to Anfield with Liverpool struggling to find consistency this term, suffering from the loss of Suarez to Barcelona and Sturridge to injury. However, Azpilicueta is remaining wary of the threat the Merseyside club pose.

“Liverpool are a different team now and are going through a bad patch,” he added.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.